Carnival vs Royal, A short comparison

[Socref124]

We just completed our 10th cruise, first on RCL, on the Monarch of the Seas. It hit me driving home today that Royal and Carnival are more alike than not, so I decided to do a little comparison.
Embarkation
We arrived early and after we checked in, we were told to go have a seat. We saw the sign that said To Ships and sat in the first seats of the second row next to the sign (the first row was for Diamond cruisers). Three or four RCI employees saw us sit there and didn't say anything to us. When the announcement was made to start boarding, the diamond cruisers boarded first and then they started to board passengers from the second row and they started from the other end of the second row, so rather than being at the front of the line, we were now at the end of our row. No biggie, hey we are on vacation and getting ready to board a ship, but, it would have been nice for one of the three or four employees to tell us the line would be moving from the other side.
Carnival gives you a zone number and you board by zone number. We could be the first ones in our zone to arrive and the last ones in our zone to board just like with Royal, but it seems to be a little more organized this way. Advantage Carnival
Boarding Ship.
Royal has people meet you once you step on the ship with someone selling drinks of the day, another area scheduling My Time Dinning and another area selling wine packages as well as the Pursers desk and the Explorations desk. They also have a staff member advising people to go to deck 11 and that lunch was being served in the Jade dinning area. We purchased two DOTD's and went over to order the Wine Package. After ordering our package, the young lady advised us that we had a nice table in the dinning room and asked if we would like to see our table. We said yes and she took us to see our table. We were going to switch to MTD but decided not to since we liked our table. DW commented to me that it was nice that the young lady asked us and then took us to see our table. We then went to the pursers desk to get a safe deposit box, thanks to cc members advsing us that safes were not in all rooms.
Carnival has staff members advising you that lunch is being served on the lido deck and directing you toward the elevators. They also have a bar that we normally go to to get our first DOTD. On some of our cruises we have had to wait for up tp 10 minutes to get a drink. On one cruise we couldn't get a drink so we went to the Lido deck and got our first drink there. Advantage Royal
Decor
The first thing, other than the different stations in the lobby, we noticed was the decor of the ship. The Monarch of the Seas is a lot more subdued than any of the Carnival ships we have been on. Carnival is more glitz and neon and colorful. Royals decor is more, for a lack of a better word, elegant than Carnival. We noticed this difference around the entire ship. Now, I am not one that cares about the decor. Decor will never make or break a cruise vacation for me. This is a very subjective area so I see no advantage here. Some that don't like glitz and neon will say advantage Royal. Others that like the glitz and neon will say advantage Carnival.
Advantage None
Cabins
After having lunch we were allowed into our staterooms(1 PM) to stow our carry on luggage. On this cruise we had an ocean view stateroom. On Carnival we have had balcony and inside staterooms. For comparison, we will compare the ocean view with Carnivals inside state room. When we open the door we were stunned. The room seemed so small to us. We were in cabin 6566 and the stateroom is 122 sq ft. There was a small glass table in the corner with a trash can underneath, a vanity area with 6 drawers and two panels along the mirror that opened up from the outside of the mirrow toward the inside of the mirrow with three tiny shelves on each side. The vanity table had an ice bucket and two glasses and sodas and water on it and was full ( no room). The closet opened from the door into the stateroom and had three or four sheves and enough hanging space for our clothes. The bathroom was very small and had a shelf under the sink as well as the shelf to the right of the sink. The shower was 3x3 area with a curtain. The shower area had a dispenser of shampoo and a small bar of soap wrapped in paper. No trash recepticle in the bathroom. The bed was comfortable but the pillows weren't very good.
Carnival's inside cabins aren't much larger, but they do seem to be a little larger. Sorry, but I cannot find the square footage of the Miracle or the Imagination. Two ships we have been on with an inside cabin. The room has a larger table than Royals and the vanity area and closet are comparable. The bathroom seems to be larger and there are several shelves to store your shaving gear and such. The shower is a little larger and consists of a dispenser with shampoo and a dispenser with body wash. The bathroom also has it's own trash recepticle. Carnivals comfort beds and comfort pillows are a plus.
Advantage Carnival
Windjammer/Jade vs Taste of the Nations.
DW and I are not huge fans of buffets, but we generally eat breakfast and lunch there, because of convenience. Royal does not have an omelette station in the Windjammer or Jade restaurants. They each have a variety of foods which are OK. Food gets cold after sitting for a while. Granola cereal is available and they have an excellent salad area. Each day, the windjammer would set up a lunch station of hamburgers and hot dogs out at the pool area. Also, the Windjammer and Jade reataurants had a different cold soup each day.
Carnival has several omlette stations throught the Taste of the Nations and grill areas but they no longer have granola cereal. As with Royal, the hot food gets cold after sitting for a while. Carnival has a NY Deli with fabulous sandwiches. Carnival also has an Asian restaurant that compares with the Jade. On one of the ships we have been on Carnival had a Mongolian Grill.
This is an area where I will say both lines are comparable. Carnival has a NY Deli, Mongolian Grill(on some ships), and omelette stations, however, Royal has Granola cereal, different cold soups and the set up a station by the pool for burgers and dogs.
Advantage None
Main Dinning Room
I have been reading on the Royal board that the food quality is going down hill. Our experience is the food in the Main Dinning Room is good and tasty. It is mass produced and isn't as hot as I would have liked, but that is a common occurance on all three of the cruise lines we have been on. The upcharge for the Filet Mignon is no different than Carnival charging extra for the super clubs, IMHO.
I have been reading the same on Carnivals boards about food quality but we have been fortunate and haven't noticed it as of yet. The only area Carnival has an advantage in the Main Dinning Room is the lobster on formal night. I missed not having steak and lobster on formal night. Because Carnival does offer lobster tail, Advantage Carnival
Pizza
Carnival has 24 hour pizza. Royal pizza tasted a little better to me. I don't eat pizza late night, therefore, Advantage Royal
Ice Cream
Royal has a Ben & Jerrys onboard for sale and the Chunky Monkey is fabulous. Carnival has soft serve ice cream and yogurt at four or five different places throughout the Taste of the nations and it is free.
Free wins. Advantage Carnival
Overall Entertainment
The piano player on Monarch was fabulous, however he is shoved to the side of the Schooner bar. The band in the Boleros was very good and they playe different types of music. The comedy of Rodney Johnson was fabulous and Bob Cates the Juggler was one of the best I have ever seen. The calypso band was good, but I feel they should have been at the pool playing throughout the day on embarkation day, not just at the sailaway party. Karaoke bar was good. We heard a young lady from Birmingham sing and I told her she is missing the boat. She should audition for Americas Got Talent. WOW, what a voice. The Monarch singers and dancers were good but there performance was more of an amateur production than a professional production. They had four lead singers that were all good, but once again, the African American female lead singer should audition for Americas Got Talent.
On Carnival, the Piano Bar is the place to be. The piano players have been very good and they always get the crowd incorporated in the act. Ron Pass, you are the best. The night club bands are all very good, but not as good as the band that was on the Monarch. Most of the professional acts on Carnival are comparable to the Comedian and Juggler on the Monarch. Karaoke bars are similar. The Carnival singers and dancers are comparable to the Monarch singers and dancers except their routines and scenes are more professionally done. Haven't heard a lead singer as good as the girl on the Monarch yet. DW liked the costumes not being as risque as on Carnival. Leaning one way, but; Advantage Even
Activities
I was shocked to see that Royal had a late night Belly Flop contest, and a men's hairy leg contest and a woman's bicep contest(very risque and suggestive). They also had the Love and Marriage show, ice carvings, trivia contests, art auction, scavenger hunts and a demonstration with a bartender tossong bottles of booze around like Tom Cruise in the Movie "Cocktail". One of the things that got to me was the risque acts that couples had to perform to be a contestant in the Love and Marriage game. Perhaps the assistant CD should have advised people that the audition could be R rated and small children shouldn't have been in attendance. Also, one of the questions to the husbands was what color of underware is your wife wearing. When one of the participants picked up his wife and threw her onto his shoulder, everyone in the first three rows knew the anser to be black, but the husband said beige. I don't hold that against the Monarch though. Advantage Even
Service.
I have saved the best for last. While I have never had a problem with the overall service on a Carnival cruise, some of the best service we have received on our 10 cruises was on the Monarch. Our Waiter Derick we fabulous. He is without a doubt the best server we have ever had. I made sure to mention this to the Head Waiter(Maitre D) and to write it on our comment card. He called us by our first name every time he saw us, made suggestions and recommendations, had our wine bottle deliverd to us nightly, crumbed our table and overheard us talking to tablemates about Sun being our anniversary and brought the Head Waiter over with a piece of cake and they sang Happy Anniversary to us. He always had a smile and asked how our day went. He gave us advice on meal times on on how the dinning room worked on Debarkation day. The bar service in all the areas we were in, Boleros, the Casino, Crown and Anchor Lounge, poolside bars, Schooner bar was excellent and everyone thanked us by first name when giving us the receipt (They got the names off our Sea Pass). The room steward was the only exception. We made one request of him to deliver clean wine glasses to our stateroom every night and he did not do it. Advantage Royal
One other side note. The demographics of people on this cruise was very similar to any Carnival cruise we have been on. We saw people in jeans and a short sleeve shirt in the MDR on formal night, a 20 something girl in Daisy Dukes in the MDR and an elderly gentleman wearing a dirty ball cap in the MDR. We saw people so drunk they had to be helped on board the ship in Nassau and others so drunk at the midnight deck party that security had to stand close by. We also heard the CD make a comment on stage about drinking more booze on your cruise. Is Royal the Fun Ships? We sure had a good time and there was as much partying if not more than on most of our Carnival cruises. Would I sail Royal again? Yes, until the Yankees relocate from New York. However, I will also sail Carnival again. We were worried that we would not enjoy ourselves. How foolish. Just about as foolish as arguing about wether Royal or Carnival are better. Folks, in my honest opinion, they are more a like than different. I tried hard to be fair honest and unbiased in this review. I hope it helps someone that is afraid to try Royal or afraid to try Carnival. I also posted this comparison on the Royal board.Now excuse me, I have to go look for our next cruise.

[Traveler353]

"Fair and Balanced" Excellent review. Thank you

[firefly333]

Originally Posted by Socref124

Ice Cream
Royal has a Ben & Jerrys onboard for sale and the Chunky Monkey is fabulous. Carnival has soft serve ice cream and yogurt at four or five different places throughout the Taste of the nations and it is free.
Free wins. Advantage Carnival
.

Iv been on SOV where the FREE RCL soft serve was up a deck from the buffet, so maybe thats where it was on Monarch .... sounds like you missed it??

Since every RCL ship Iv been on had free soft serve ... Monarch had to have had it.

If FREE wins ... no advantage to either. Both have it. I dont think RCL had free frozen yogurt though, just ice cream.

I just skimmed it. So might be some other things you missed... dont give up.

[chachi]

Originally Posted by Socref124

I have to go look for our next cruise.

So, are you looking at Carnival or Royal?

[bakechef]

I too feel that they are more alike than different. Where they seem to differ the most is decor and the newer larger ships, Royal just has some stunning large ships and they are decorated beautifully, but after you get past that, they are very much alike.

[mrtpe]

Well put.

[paulekrause]

Good review... very fair, but for me although I love Royal and Carnival, I will usually end up choosing Carnival because of the one area you didn't critique: Price! Advantage Carnival

Paul

[DC1107]

Originally Posted by firefly333

Iv been on SOV where the FREE RCL soft serve was up a deck from the buffet, so maybe thats where it was on Monarch .... sounds like you missed it??

Since every RCL ship Iv been on had free soft serve ... Monarch had to have had it.

If FREE wins ... no advantage to either. Both have it. I dont think RCL had free frozen yogurt though, just ice cream.

I just skimmed it. So might be some other things you missed... dont give up.

The one thing I can say about the ice cream , is that Carnival has it free 24hrs, and Royal does not.

[Name Of The Game]

I've heard that Bingo is much more expensive on Royal Caribbean.

[Snorkel2Much]

Originally Posted by Socref124

...
Windjammer/Jade vs Taste of the Nations.
....This is an area where I will say both lines are comparable. Carnival has a NY Deli, Mongolian Grill(on some ships), and omelette stations, however, Royal has Granola cereal, different cold soups and the set up a station by the pool for burgers and dogs.
Advantage None...

I have been on a few Fantasy class (smaller) and Conquest class Carnival ships, and there has always been a station for burgers and hotdogs by the Lido pools.

Great overall assessment.

[firefly333]

Originally Posted by Snorkel2Much

I have been on a few Fantasy class (smaller) and Conquest class Carnival ships, and there has always been a station for burgers and hotdogs by the Lido pools.

Great overall assessment.

Yes Iv seen burgers and hotdogs on all my Carnival cruises too.

RCL Voyager also had something nice, they did a poolside lunch, BBQ theme this last one, nachoes and chips and stuff the year before. That was nice to not have to give up my poolside chair and go into the buffet or very far to get lunch

[gaylensgigi]

Lido buffet......not to far
Hey Mikey,glad you are back and had a good time.How was Lauries dive?
Thanks for your well thought out and worded post.

[DEL67]

Fair review. Although I would disagree about the pizza. However Carnival's internet is even more absurdly expensive that RCCL's (except fot the most expensive plan.) So for internet, I would say "advantge "RCCL".

[Socref124]

Originally Posted by Snorkel2Much

I have been on a few Fantasy class (smaller) and Conquest class Carnival ships, and there has always been a station for burgers and hotdogs by the Lido pools.

Great overall assessment.

All the Carnival ships we have been on has the grill area for burgers and dogs just before you enter the inside buffet area. The difference here is the Monarchs is out between the two pools where Carnival has lounge chairs and tables. NCL did this also. They bring tables out and do a make shift serving station. Where Carnival has the grill stations, the Monarch had a pool bar and a station where they sell specialty drinks.

[Socref124]

Originally Posted by firefly333

Yes Iv seen burgers and hotdogs on all my Carnival cruises too.

RCL Voyager also had something nice, they did a poolside lunch, BBQ theme this last one, nachoes and chips and stuff the year before. That was nice to not have to give up my poolside chair and go into the buffet or very far to get lunch

Basically that is where the burger and hot dog station was.

[halos]

Originally Posted by Traveler353

"Fair and Balanced" Excellent review. Thank you

Ditto. yes, thank you

[Socref124]

Originally Posted by DEL67

Fair review. Although I would disagree about the pizza. However Carnival's internet is even more absurdly expensive that RCCL's (except fot the most expensive plan.) So for internet, I would say "advantge "RCCL".

I refuse to use the internet cafe (Hey, I'm on vacation and want to get away) and we don't gamble so that is why I didn't review those areas. The only time we used the casino bar was to get a drink while DW had a cigarette.

[Snorkel2Much]

Originally Posted by Socref124

All the Carnival ships we have been on has the grill area for burgers and dogs just before you enter the inside buffet area. The difference here is the Monarchs is out between the two pools where Carnival has lounge chairs and tables. NCL did this also. They bring tables out and do a make shift serving station. Where Carnival has the grill stations, the Monarch had a pool bar and a station where they sell specialty drinks.

Sorry for sounding like a cheerleader, but I just can't see how sacrificing some seriously prime "deck chair real estate" with a burger table is an advantage. That saves what, 20 steps max?

[MrPete]

Thanks for that FOX like review!

Originally Posted by Socref124

Cabins
Carnival's inside cabins aren't much larger, but they do seem to be a little larger. Sorry, but I cannot find the square footage of the Miracle or the Imagination.

The square footage is 185.